GOP Finds Little to Like in Obama's Inaugural Address

Enjoying Inauguration Day, from left, Nancy Pelosi and husband, Paul, Eric Cantor and wife, Diana, John A. Boehner and wife, Debbie, participate in the presidential review of the troops.

Republicans by and large held their fire Monday following the peaceful installation of the nation’s commander in chief, but by next month’s State of the Union address, the so-called “loyal opposition” is unlikely to equivocate in expressing its simmering frustration with President Barack Obama.

The pomp and circumstance of Monday’s ceremonial festivities were a brief respite from Congress’ lurch from one tense budget deadline to the next, even if Obama did surprise many by mentioning several liberal-leaning policy goals in his inaugural address. Although the subtext of Obama’s speech was aimed at getting Congress to find some common ground, the Feb. 12 State of the Union will provide them with more specific targets.

“In spite of the words that he spoke today, his White House continues to be very confrontational rather than cooperative in working with Republicans,” said the No. 4 Republican in the Senate, John Barrasso of Wyoming.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, gushed about the civility of the ceremonial lunch Monday but indicated that his party’s disappointment with the president’s inaugural speech could boil over the next time he pays a call to the Capitol.

“Parts of it sounded more like a campaign speech and part of it was soaring rhetoric, which was positive, I thought, about getting together,” Portman said. He noted he is “absolutely” looking to the State of the Union to hear more details.

“The president missed an opportunity to point out where we can find common ground,” Portman continued. “Instead, he chose to talk about it in the abstract, and then his specificity was on things he believes but were not issues where we as a Congress and as an executive branch can make progress, and I’m referring to the debt and the deficit and tax reform.”

Of course, Republicans themselves are not united on how to proceed in the next months, let alone through the duration of Obama’s second term.

While Obama’s push for gun control and immigration changes may be popular in some polls, they represent agenda items that are politically perilous for both parties. Besides, those debates will likely have to wait until after Congress passes a debt ceiling hike and new spending bills.

House Republican leaders are seeking to forge ahead on a three-month extension of the nation’s debt limit in the coming days. Senate Democrats and the White House, however, seem to be waiting to see what, if anything, the House can pass before deciding how to handle it.

Obama spent precious little time talking about that issue in his speech, however.